XU Biweekly - Issue 101 - 22nd March 2025 by XU Magazine

Market-leading ANNA Money continues its domination in the tax SAAS space

Two new releases: an all-in-one tax solution for sole traders, plus a standalone Payroll service

ANNA’S AI-POWERED BOOKKEEPING AND ACCOUNTING TOOL +TAXES HAS HELPED THOUSANDS OF LIMITED COMPANIES STAY ON TOP OF THEIR FINANCES AND FILE THEIR TAX RETURNS WITH CONFIDENCE.

Now, +Taxes has been adapted and soft-launched for sole traders - with hundreds signing up since the product went live two weeks ago.

ANNA’s advanced features make it easy for sole traders to ensure that all allowable expenses are properly recorded, documented and accounted for, that submissions to HMRC for Self Assessment are accurate and that no tax savings are left behind. In addition, sole traders get access to day-to-day admin features to manage their business more efficiently

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Deel acquires Safeguard Global’s payroll division

ACQUISITION COMBINES DEEL’S TECH AND INFRASTRUCTURE WITH SAFEGUARD’S ENTERPRISE GLOBAL PAYROLL KNOWLEDGE AND DELIVERY EXPERTISE.

Safeguard Global’s payroll team joining Deel’s team of experts

Today Safeguard Global is one of the key providers of global payroll solutions. The company serves 140+ markets, processes more than 2.4M+ payslips per year, and boasts an 80+% first-time approval in

each payroll cycle. They specialize in serving global customers including FICO, Hypertherm, and Jacobs.

Safeguard Global’s payroll team has hundreds of experts with decades of global payroll and compliance knowledge, particularly when working with enterprise businesses. The entire Safeguard Global payroll team will be joining Deel, combining their knowhow and dedicated tools with Deel’s in-house HR, immigration and legal experts.

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SINCE DAY ONE, APRON HAS BEEN ABOUT SIMPLIFYING BUSINESS PAYMENTS. A VITAL PART OF OUR SUCCESS SO FAR HAS BEEN THE TRUST AND FEEDBACK WE’VE BUILT UP WITH OUR PARTNERS: ACCOUNTANTS AND BOOKKEEPERS.

They’re the backbone of financial operations for countless small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), and we recognise the pivotal role they play in shaping the future of Apron.

Apron is now a fully integrated financial operations platform that brings together invoice capture, supplier payments, advanced bookkeeping, payment cards and employee spend management tools into one platform.

With the addition of ex-

pense cards, we’re closing the gap between bookkeeping and payments, making Apron the go-to platform for accountants and bookkeepers to manage their clients’ financials more efficiently than ever before — whatever level of involvement or collaboration they have.

What inspired us to get to this point? You could say that it was literally a waste of time.

The problem: Managing business payments shouldn’t be a hassle

No one gets their professional qualifications and enters the world of bookkeeping or accounting to spend hours each week processing payments and chasing receipts.

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Billdu update: Improved scheduling, price cuts across apps and smoother invoicing

KEEPING TRACK OF CLIENT APPOINTMENTS, PAYMENTS, AND TIME OFF CAN BE OVERWHELMING. YOU’RE JUGGLING SCHEDULING CONFLICTS, LAST-MINUTE CHANGES, AND ENSURING PAYMENTS GO THROUGH SMOOTHLY. ALL WHILE TRYING TO RUN A BUSINESS.

That’s why we’ve redesigned and upgraded the Billdu Appointments app to give you more control, flexibility, and efficiency in managing your schedule.

Additionally, we’ve reduced prices in both the Appointments and Store apps to make them more accessi-

XU BIWEEKLY - No. 101

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ble for small business owners like you. Plus, we’ve implemented small but crucial fixes in the Invoice Maker app to ensure invoicing is smoother than ever. Let’s dive in!

What’s new in Appointments app?

1. Online Appointments: Empower Clients to Book, Edit, and Pay Online - Clients often need to reschedule or cancel their appointment, but doing so over the phone or email takes up valuable time and leads to miscommunication. Plus, handling payments manually can be a hassle.

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JAX expands beta access and introduces new features to save you time and effort

AYEAR AGO, WE SHARED OUR VISION TO REIMAGINE ACCOUNTING USING AI AND MOBILE, RECOGNIZING THE TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL FOR SMALL BUSINESSES AND THE INDUSTRY.

As part of delivering on that vision, we launched Just Ask Xero (JAX), our smart and reliable generative-AI business companion, to make accounting tasks easier and save you time through simple conversation within everyday apps. Today, JAX is one of several AI-powered tools within Xero making life easier for you, and represents a fundamental shift in how technol-

ogy can help your business thrive. Seamlessly handling tasks like sending invoices, editing quotes, and summarizing bill payments, both within Xero and in commonly used apps, JAX is already proving its value to our initial beta testers.

Steve Aylward, managing director of Australian small business, Ven Agency, said: “We’ve been truly impressed by JAX. Its natural language functionality and ability to handle invoicing through a simple text message has been a real game-changer for us, especially when travelling for work."

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Close your books with confidence: Introducing reconcile period in Xero

COMING OFF THE YEAR OF THE US BANK FEED, I’M EXCITED TO SHARE THAT WE’RE RELEASING THE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED RECONCILE PERIOD FEATURE IN BANK RECONCILIATION.

Rolling out now for our US and Canadian customers

Reconcile period enables you to easily compare your bank statement to your Xero accounting transactions so you can:

• define a period with a date range and balance,

to easily compare to statement lines

• quickly spot missing, duplicate or incorrect transactions

• confirm completion and accuracy by saving a period when it balances

• protect the transactions for the period from being changed

• create a reconciliation report as a lasting record

Reconciliation is a pivotal step in identifying any discrepancies between a bank statement and the corresponding accounting entries in Xero.

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Digital Accountancy Show joins Easyfairs with a focus on the future

United by a vision for innovation and digital excellence, this acquisition accelerates Digital Accountancy Show’s expansion and initiates the next phase of growth.

EASYFAIRS TODAY ANNOUNCED THE ACQUISITION OF DIGITAL ACCOUNTANCY SHOW.

The shared focus on technology and digital innovation naturally aligns both parties and provides strong foundations for the next step in the exciting journey of this flagship London event. Easyfairs’ extensive technology ecosystem and well-established pan-European network will generate rapid growth and enhance the community’s 365 experience.

Since its launch in 2020, Digital Accountancy Show’s mission has been to drive

change and support the evolution of the accounting profession. This is a perfect extension of Easyfairs’ core values of ‘visit the future’ and ‘community first’. Dan Cockerton, Co-Founder of Digital Accountancy Show, commented: “This partnership allows us to enhance our event’s mission even further and drive forward on a global basis, with the potential to impact hundreds of thousands of advisors and SME businesses.”

The next edition of the leading technology conference for accountants, bookkeepers and finance professionals will take place on 1 & 2 April 2025 at London Evo-

lution in Battersea. Continuing the success of previous editions, the 2025 event will welcome over 5,000 visitors and 150+ exhibitors. The audience will be immersed in a rich programme of educational talks, interactive partner discussions and meaningful networking opportunities, providing them with the ideal forum to assist their ongoing digital transformation.

“I’m over the moon to announce that Digital Accountancy Show has received investment from one of the world’s largest event organisers,” commented James Howell, Co-Founder of Digital Accountancy

Show. “Easyfairs fosters an incredible culture built on strong, shared values – putting people first and creating a true sense of community amongst the markets it serves, which is incredibly important to us.”

Alison Willis, CEO of Easyfairs UK&Global added: “We cannot wait to meet the accountancy community at the event on 1 & 2 April and we are excited to work with the team who are helping shape the future of the industry.”

The markets served by Digital Accountancy Show are in an exciting and transformative era of innovation. Technology and AI are perfectly poised to revolution-

ise how advisers support SMEs worldwide.

This tech-savvy, forward-thinking community benefits from a dedicated forum where they can stay abreast of complex tech stacks, find efficiencies in the ever-evolving world of AI, recognise the indispensable role of ‘human-touch’ that drives the industry, and gain valuable insights into the mindset of the world’s leading accountants and finance professionals – all of which are essential to continue thriving in the rapidly changing accountancy landscape.

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New in Calxa: Launching Calxa Enterprise

NEW IN CALXA THIS WEEK IS THE RELEASE OF OUR NEW CALXA ENTERPRISE SUBSCRIPTION. AFTER MORE THAN 20 YEARS WORKING WITH SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS, IT’S TIME FOR US TO EXPAND INTO THE WORLD OF ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS.

After several months of beta testing, we can announce that Calxa now integrates with NetSuite, MYOB Acumatica and Microsoft Business Central.

The Calxa Enterprise plan

To work with one of the ERP systems you will need to be on the Calxa Enterprise plan. This is set up per tenant so it gives you unlimited organisations and users within that tenant. We will go into more detail on what

gets imported for each organisation below. Essentially you will get monthly actuals for organisations and business units. Once this is configured and mapped in Calxa, you get access to our flexible budget builder and the library of reports. It will make it easy to produce monthly management reports.

Implementation Paired with the Enterprise plan

In comparison to connecting to mainstream cloud accounting systems, the Enterprise connection has many more tentacles and is not as straightforward. Because of their complexity and the various possible configurations, the enterprise integration will require some manual interventions. To ensure a well-tuned setup, some decisions need to be made by a human. This is the reason

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an implementation package is paired with the Enterprise plan. It includes a consultative process that is managed by our team in close partnership with you to achieve the optimum setup. Then, if your setup needs more than what’s included in our basic implementation package, we discuss the details to suit your needs.

Let’s look a little closer at the nuances of each system.

Microsoft Business Central

We integrate with the online version of Dynamics 365 Business Central and also Wiise ERP.

Companies come into Calxa as Organisations whilst Dimensions convert to business units.

Find out more

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Sleek Announces New Bank Feed Integration with Airwallex for Streamlined Business Financial Management

SLEEK, THE LEADING BUSINESS AND ACCOUNTING SERVICES PLATFORM, IS EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE A NEW INTEGRATION WITH GLOBAL FINTECH AIRWALLEX.

This new feature, now available on our proprietary platform, SleekBooks, aims to improve how businesses manage their financial data and reconcile transactions.

BGL CORPORATE SOLUTIONS (BGL), AUSTRALIA'S LEADING PROVIDER OF COMPANY COMPLIANCE, SELF-MANAGED SUPERANNUATION FUND (SMSF), INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, IDENTITY VERIFICATION AND AI-POWERED PAPER-TO-DATA SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS WOULD LIKE TO OFFER OUR EXPERT INSIGHTS ON THE UPCOMING TRANSFER BALANCE CAP (TBC) INCREASE AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR SMSF PROFESSIONALS AND TRUSTEES.

From 1 July 2025, the

general Transfer Balance Cap (TBC) will increase from $1.9 million to $2 million due to CPI growth over the past 2 years. This change impacts individuals with retirement-phase income streams, making it crucial for SMSF professionals to ensure their clients remain compliant while maximising strategic opportunities.

The TBC limits the superannuation savings that can be transferred into a tax-free retirement account.

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What the Airwallex Integration Means for SleekBooks Users

From today, SleekBooks users in Hong Kong can automatically synchronize transactions from their Airwallex accounts directly into SleekBooks.

This seamless connection eliminates manual uploads and ensures businesses can enjoy real-time insights into their financial position, streamlining financial management and reconciliation.

“This integration marks a significant milestone in our

commitment to empowering businesses with smarter financial solutions,” said Liam Thomas, Hong Kong Country Head at Sleek.

“By integrating Airwallex’s bank feed directly into SleekBooks, we’re enabling our clients to save time, reduce errors, and focus on growing their businesses.”

Key Benefits of the Sleek and Airwallex Integration

The integration was developed to address common pain points faced by business owners, including time-consuming manual processes and the risk of errors during financial reconciliation. With this new feature, users can:

• Automatically sync Airwallex transactions into SleekBooks.

• Gain instant access to upto-date financial data.

• Simplify and accelerate the reconciliation process.

THE BUSINESS SHOW

MIAMI

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Introducing

A2X for PayPal: Faster, simpler Shopify reconciliation

IT FEELS LIKE MOST SHOPIFY STORES USE PAYPAL AS A PAYMENT OPTION. MAKES SENSE. PAYPAL IS WELL RECOGNIZED, AND THE MORE PAYMENT OPTIONS YOU GIVE YOUR CUSTOMERS, THE EASIER IT IS FOR THEM TO BUY.

But there is a tradeoff: when month-end rolls around, PayPal can cause some major accounting headaches.

Tons of transactions, multiple currencies, and tricky clearing accounts. It’s messy and time-consuming.

And that’s why we’re in-

Explore the Xero App Store’s 2024 top apps

FINDING TOOLS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR PROCESSES AND SAVE TIME IS ESSENTIAL FOR A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER. BUT WITH SO MANY APPS AVAILABLE TO CONNECT TO XERO, IT CAN FEEL OVERWHELMING TO SORT THROUGH THEM ALL.

That’s why we’ve pulled together lists from the Xero App Store in Australia, the US and the UK where you can see the year’s most popular, most recommended, and award-winning apps to help you discover apps that are functional, trusted and loved by businesses and experts alike.

BGL enhances CAS 360 integration with Xero Practice Manager

BGL CORPORATE SOLUTIONS (BGL), THE WORLD LEADER IN COMPANY COMPLIANCE SOLUTIONS, IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE ENHANCED INTEGRATION OF ITS COMPANY SECRETARIAL SOFTWARE, CAS 360, WITH LEADING PRACTICE MANAGEMENT PLATFORM, XERO.

This new development brings an even more powerful and seamless two-way integration that promises seamless practice management for pro -

fessional firms and the reality of a single firm database.

The enhanced integration between CAS 360 and Xero Practice Manager simplifies the management of company, trust and individual client/contact data across both platforms.

It eliminates the need for manual and duplicate data entry and frees up valuable time and resources for clients.

Find out more

Check out the 2024 most popular app lists:

• Most popular apps 2024: Australia

• Most popular apps 2024: UK

• Most popular apps 2024: US

Most recommended apps

Our ‘Most recommended by advisors 2024’ lists contain apps trusted by the advisors who know small businesses best. These apps are the ones that accountants and bookkeepers recommended to their clients through the Xero App Store the most.

Check out the most advisor-recommended app lists:

• Most recommended apps 2024: Australia

• Most recommended apps 2024: UK

• Most recommended apps 2024: US

Find out more

BGL CORPORATE SOLUTIONS (BGL), AUSTRALIA'S LEADING PROVIDER OF COMPANY COMPLIANCE, SELF-MANAGED SUPERANNUATION FUND (SMSF), INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, IDENTITY VERIFICATION AND AI-POWERED PAPER-TO-DATA SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS, IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT IT HAS BEEN NAMED ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S GREAT PLACE TO WORK® BEST WORKPLACES FOR WOMEN FOR THE 4TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR."

This recognition is a testament to the culture we’ve built at BGL, which focuses on supporting, valuing and empowering all members of our team at every level

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of the organisation,” said BGL'sChief Executive Officer, Daniel Tramontana.

“At BGL, we believe in providing equal opportunities based on values, skill and experience. By focusing on merit, we’ve built an inclusive, diverse workplace driven by collaboration and innovation.”

The 2025 Best Workplaces for Women list was announced on 6 March 2025. It celebrates organisations that consistently provide positive experiences for women while maintaining industry standards in gender balance and representation.

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BGL Corporate Solutions (BGL), the world leader in company compliance solutions, is proud to deliver seamless company formations in its company secretarial software, CAS 360.

BGL'S FLAGSHIP PRODUCT, CAS 360, IS THE COMPLETE COMPANY SECRETARIAL AND AML MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE.

With its built-in capabilities, clients can effortlessly prepare and file company registration forms electronically with Companies House and generate supporting documents to meet legislative requirements—all from within CAS 360.

The software also streamlines compliance by automating the preparation of necessary forms, minutes, resolutions, registers and documents required for the

Annual Confirmation Statement and common company changes.

“CAS 360 is a huge time-saver for accounting firms and corporate service providers,” said Warren Renden, General Manager of CAS 360 at BGL. “Until now, many UK firms have relied on external providers to register new companies. The ability to prepare company formation documents, obtain digital client signatures and file directly with Companies House in CAS 360 delivers incredible efficiencies—all with the click of a button.”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

UPCOMING WEBINARS

UK WEBINARS AU WEBINARS

The Power of Partnerships: How Collaboration Drives Innovation in FinTech

By Sidd Nigam, Director, Expense On Demand

WHILE MANY DIGITAL SOLUTIONS OFFER GREAT POTENTIAL, NO SINGLE PLATFORM OPTIMISES EVERYTHING— TRUE TRANSFORMATION REQUIRES INTEGRATED SOLUTIONS WORKING COLLABORATIVELY.

While there are many digital solutions with incredible potential… there is no single platform that can optimise all aspects of a business. Instead, digital transformation requires a combination of different solutions that work together in one cohesive ecosystem.

At ExpenseOnDemand, we recognise that innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through collaboration. That’s why we’re thrilled about our partnership with Merge, an integration platform that connects ExpenseOnDemand with over 50 other software systems (including Xero). Through this new and exciting partnership, we can deliver a smarter, faster, and more scalable expense management experience.

1. Why partnerships matter in FinTech

Integrated solutions for a complex world

Many businesses today use a range of fintech solutions - accounting software, ERP systems, payroll platforms - to manage their finances. However, managing all of these applications can be a challenge.

According to one study the average company uses a staggering 254 SaaS applications. What’s more, the same study showed that over 60 days average app engagement was 45%, which means that companies are not using applications efficiently. This waste in technology investments is mostly due to poor integration and overlapping capabilities.

This is where strategic partnerships become crucial. Through efficient partnerships, businesses can reduce data silos, minimise manual intervention, and create unified workflows that drive operational efficiency. By creating integrated ecosystems, partnerships like the one with ExpenseOnDemand and Merge address the need for seamless connectivity between business-critical applications.

Focus on core strengths

The power of partnerships lies in specialisation and expertise sharing, as each partner concentrates on their core competencies while creating more value for customers. For example, in our ecosystem:

• Merge brings its expertise in unified API integration to seamlessly connect over 50 software systems

• Xero provides robust accounting capabilities trusted by over 3.3 million subscribers globally

• ExpenseOnDemand delivers specialised expense management solutions that cut processing time by up to 95%

The result is a synergistic relationship that delivers what is known as a multiplier effect - when the combined value of integrated solutions exceeds the sum of their parts. By combining specialised expertise through strategic partnerships, we're not just solving individual problems, but creating comprehensive solutions that address the complex needs of modern businesses.

2. How the Merge partnership elevates the Xero experience

Seamless integration in minutes

Gone are the days of complex API integrations and lengthy setup processes. Through Merge's unified API architecture, ExpenseOnDe-

Unlocking ESG advisory: How accounting firms can drive sustainability and fuel revenue growth

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) advisory services are becoming a critical value-add for accounting firms, helping clients navigate the growing demand for sustainable and ethical business practices.

By Hollie Caldeira, Marketing Specialist, Spotlight Reporting

mand users can now connect their Xero accounts in minutes. This plug-and-play approach eliminates the traditional technical barriers that often delay digital transformation initiatives. Real-time synchronisation ensures that expense data flows automatically between systems, maintaining a single source of truth. When an expense is approved in ExpenseOnDemand, it instantly appears in Xero with all relevant categorisations, attachments, and approval trails intact.

This automated flow eliminates the need for manual data entry, significantly reducing errors and cutting claim time by 90%

Enhanced reporting and visibility

The partnership between Merge and ExpenseOnDemand also transforms how businesses handle expense reporting in Xero. ExpenseOnDemand's AI-powered categorisation engine automatically classifies expenses according to your custom chart of accounts, ensuring consistency across both platforms.

Scalability for growing businesses

As businesses evolve, the technology they implement must also keep pace. The Merge integration platform provides a future-proof foundation that can grow with your business. Whether you're expanding internationally or adding new software tools to your tech stack, the Merge integration platform can help businesses adopt new technologies seamlessly. Multi-currency support is another standard feature of the platform, allowing international businesses to manage expenses in multiple currencies while maintaining accurate reporting in their base currency.

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IN OUR 2023 GLOBAL ADVISORY TRENDS SURVEY OF OVER 1000 ACCOUNTANTS, WE SAW THAT ESG ADVISORY SERVICES HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED STRONGLY AS A PERCEIVED AREA OF OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Overall, 18% of respondents viewed ESG as an area of opportunity, and this percentage remains consistent. Since launching our ESG reporting app, Spotlight Sustain, we have already seen these early innovators look to educate themselves, construct reporting models, and inform customers through powerful data insights. Yes, it is very early days, but the pioneering spirit is strong and of course, early-mover advantage is here and now.

By integrating ESG into financial reporting, risk management, and strategic planning, firms can provide clients with deeper insights into their sustainability performance and compliance requirements.

Whether it’s assisting with carbon footprint measurement, ethical supply chain practices, or corporate governance improvements, ESG advisory enhances transparency and helps businesses align with investor and regulatory expectations.

ESG Advisory and Revenue Growth

ESG advisory services can be a powerful driver of revenue growth for businesses by enhancing their market positioning, attracting investors, and unlocking new opportunities. Companies that demonstrate strong ESG commitments are more likely to win contracts with large corporations and government entities that prioritise sustainable suppliers. Additionally, consumers are increasingly favouring businesses with ethical and sustainable practices, leading to greater customer loyalty and premium pricing opportunities. By helping clients embed ESG into their business models, accounting firms enable them to differentiate themselves, access new markets, and improve financial performance.

ESG Advisory Opens New Revenue Streams and Deepens Client Relationships

ESG advisory can support revenue growth by improving operational efficiency and reducing costs. Sustainable practices often lead to lower energy consumption, waste reduction, and streamlined supply chains, all of which contribute to healthier profit margins. Investors and lenders

also favour businesses with strong ESG strategies, offering them better financing terms and access to sustainability-linked loans. By guiding clients in setting clear ESG goals, measuring their impact, and reporting effectively, accounting firms position themselves for long-term financial success while ensuring compliance with evolving regulations.

An ESG Audit: Understanding Your Clients’ Needs

An ESG discovery audit helps assess a client’s current knowledge, activities, and outcomes related to sustainability. By engaging in meaningful conversations, accountants can develop a comprehensive understanding of their client’s business, identifying key risks and opportunities. Active listening and a nuanced approach allow accountants to determine how ESG fits into an overall business strategy, providing a foundation for tailored advisory services.

ESG Data Collection and Measurement

ESG reporting relies on more than just financial data—it requires extensive non-financial metrics as well.

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No single platform optimises everything—digital transformation needs integrated solutions working together.

Marqeta and Spendesk Financial Services Join Forces

to Offer Modern and Efficient Expense Management for Over 4,000 SMBs

Across Europe

Marqeta will be providing issuer processing services for customer Spendesk, helping Spendesk to boost efficiency and customise spend controls.

MARQETA (NASDAQ: MQ), THE GLOBAL MODERN CARD ISSUING PLATFORM THAT ENABLES EMBEDDED FINANCE SOLUTIONS FOR THE WORLD’S INNOVATORS, TODAY ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS BECOME THE ISSUER PROCESSOR FOR SPENDESK FINANCIAL SERVICES (SFS) IN EUROPE, THE PAYMENT INSTITUTION POWERING AND FULLY OWNED BY SPENDESK.

Spendesk, Europe’s leading spend management and procurement solution, leverages this combined technology to enable its

medium-sized business customers to monitor budgets, customise spend controls, and boost efficiency.

Spendesk is the leading spend management and procurement platform that transforms company spending. By simplifying procurement, payment cards, expense management, invoice processing, and accounting automation, its single, AI-powered solution makes efficient spending easy for employees and gives finance leaders the full visibility and control they need.

Find out more

Sharesight product updates – March 2025

THE BULK OF OUR ATTENTION THIS MONTH WAS SPENT ON SEVERAL EXCITING INITIATIVES I’LL BE ABLE TO DISCUSS IN MORE DETAIL IN OUR APRIL UPDATE.

Despite these projects drawing most of our focus, we made good progress with our ever expanding broker support, some UX improvements to our trade form, signup and login screens as well as introducing crypto to our new drawdown risk report.

New functionality / enhancements

• Introduced a trade source field on the Trade form. This field is pre-populated with the original source of the trade and can also be manually updated

• Introduced the ability to search for cash accounts within a portfolio, in addition to regular holdings

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Airwallex collaborates with Discover® Global Network to expand payment acceptance options

LEADING GLOBAL FINTECH AIRWALLEX HAS ANNOUNCED A NEW COLLABORATION WITH DISCOVER® GLOBAL NETWORK, ENABLING AIRWALLEX MERCHANTS TO ACCEPT DISCOVER® AND DINERS CLUB INTERNATIONAL® CARDS, AND OTHER DOMESTIC SCHEME CARDS AS A PAYMENT METHOD, PROVIDING GREATER PAYMENT FLEXIBILITY FOR BUSINESSES AND THEIR CUSTOMERS.

Airwallex merchants can

now accept Discover® and Diners Club International® Cards across multiple regions including Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

In doing so, businesses may experience reductions in cart abandonment and spikes in customer satisfaction due to an enhanced checkout experience that enables them to pay with their preferred cards.

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Capital on Tap selects GoCardless for Variable Recurring Payments

Customers to gain more flexibility through open banking payments

CAPITAL ON TAP, A LEADING ALL-INONE SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT CARD AND SPEND MANAGEMENT PLATFORM, HAS SELECTED BANK PAYMENT COMPANY GOCARDLESS TO PROVIDE VARIABLE RECURRING PAYMENTS (VRPS) THROUGH ITS OPEN BANKING FEATURE, INSTANT BANK PAY.

This expands a relationship which began in 2014, when Capital on Tap first selected GoCardless for Direct Debit.

Capital on Tap will use GoCardless to collect both one-off and recurring payments, enabling them to

offer greater payment flexibility to their small business customers.

Capital on Tap customers will be able to repay their credit cards on a monthly basis using Direct Debit, and have the option to make weekly repayments and recurring payments for variable amounts through open banking.

Damian Brychcy, CEO of Capital on Tap, said: “We’ve worked with GoCardless for over a decade, collecting more than £2.5bn in Direct Debits with over £15m saved in card fees." Find out more

Allica Bank to double accountancy partnerships team to meet demand for banking expertise

ALLICA BANK, THE UK’S FASTEST-GROWING PRIVATE COMPANY, IS DOUBLING THE SIZE OF ITS ACCOUNTANCY PARTNERSHIPS TEAM TO 16 LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER LAUNCH, HAVING SEEN SIGNIFICANT DEMAND FROM THE ACCOUNTING SECTOR.

Accountants play a leading role in supporting and advising established SMEs across the country, but many of these SMEs feel that they no longer get the support from their bank that they once used to.

Allica’s accountancy part-

nership team was set up to help accountants step into the gap that high-street banks have left when it comes to business support and expertise.

The expansion comes as new data released by Allica, based on a survey of more than 70 accountancy firms across the UK, shows that businesses are desperate for advice, but are unsure where to get it. Many are turning to their accountancy partner, with 36% of accountants reporting being asked for business advice by their clients on a daily basis.

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Joy Chik to Join PayPal's Board of Directors

PAYPAL HOLDINGS, INC. (NASDAQ: PYPL) TODAY ANNOUNCED THAT JOY CHIK HAS JOINED THE COMPANY'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

Joy brings more than 26 years of corporate and board experience scaling products, services, and teams on a global level.

Joy currently serves as the President of Identity and Network Access at Microsoft and is responsible for leading the company's multi-billion-dollar security business, Microsoft Entra.

"PayPal is aiming to radically change commerce

over the next decade by increasing our velocity of innovation and accelerating our integration of artificial intelligence across our product suite and the global enterprise," said Alex Chriss, President and CEO, PayPal.

"Joy is an expert in technology and AI, and her counsel as a new member of the Board will help us harness cutting-edge technology as we deliver transformative solutions and personalized experiences to our hundreds of millions of customers worldwide."

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